Good for Environment! (G4E!) embraces the material world.

The Spanish ecodesign company has convened a skilled team of industrial designers, environmental scientists, ecologists, engineers and tech geeks who research sustainable practices, design and manufacture products, and offer services to other players seeking to improve their social and environmental responsibility.

In their own product development, they focus on smart materials, waste reduction, energy efficiency, product longevity, and consumer education. Their current collection is limited to less than a handful of considered items that respond to specific needs.

ECONO is a biomimetic water conservation device based upon a Namibian Beetle's wings. It captures water evaporating from soil and returns it, through condensation, to the pot, thus reducing outside irrigation requirements by 50%.

The LAPPACK and HEXA-TON were both developed for the particular circumstances of conference environments. The first is a laptop carrying case made of recycled and molded wood pulp that can re recycled at the end of its use. The second is a flatpack, single piece of corrugated cardboard that can be customized according the types of waste being generated at the conference.

The last is a "personal broadcasting server," (still a concept) which one of you with Spanish language skills can translate the benefits of if you'd like and add to the comments below.

Good for Environment is very pro-tech and pro-design aesthetics in their sustainability philosophy:

Technology is crucial for the sustainable communities of the future, Ecological products do not have to appear so. We believe in the materials and in the creative capacity of society to innovate while respecting the strictest environmental standards. For that reason, we devise advanced products that open a window to the future.

G4E! has also developed a Lifecycle Assessment Tool for Environmental Management, which is outlined on the site. The platform is bilingual, simply designed, and highly user-friendly, with a clearly articulated mission and a transparent presentation of metholodogies and results aroung their sustainable design research.

The page you link to is not translator friendly: the text is actually a picture, so I can't just copy-and-paste it to this edit box and then translate. Ah, well!

-----

CONCEPT

We're not just the outside image we show, but also our habits, what we like, what we use and how we reflect that on the community; that's why we design two devices, autonomous and complementary to each other, with which we can share (through similar devices or many others who may fill ubicuously our environment) music, videos or any other multimedia content, thus becoming emitters and creating new channels for communication and sharing based in the free transmission of content.

Without needing an internet connection, urban networks are created which are open to emission and reception, where content providers are citizens themselves.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

Designs made for the contest "Toshiba Hard Disk Drive Revolution 2006", starting from a micro hard disk drive the size of a 2 euro coin and using bleeding edge but tested technology such as wi-fi, VoIP, control through voice, E-ink flexible screen (electronic paper sheets) and tact interfaces, all of it with a design that is clean, intelligent, emotional and environmentally respectful.

-----

There's a link to a PDF - do you want that translated as well?

Posted by: Lucas Gonzalez on January 9, 2007 3:50 PM

ACtually, the PDF for the personal broadcasting server has all the translated information and then more, all of it in English. Enjoy!

They look like the kind of group a number of us might like to join. ;)

Posted by: Lucas Gonzalez on January 9, 2007 4:06 PM

G4E! looks like an interesting group doing good things, and is rather unique in the world of design and Engineering. An important message here is that LCA often shows an eco-friendly product to be less expensive overall to produce and reuse than a resource-intensive versions, thus there is a strong argument for profit-driven companies to offer them. Sadly, the general public does not currently see the need to buy eco-friendly designs and still shops at Wal-Mart and buys Hummers.

Posted by: Tom Kruer on January 10, 2007 7:00 AM

Ha! I just started rereading Frank Herbert's Dune yesterday. This reminded me of Dune as soon as I saw the picture and I instantly knew what it was for without reading the description. I love it! Hopefully materials can be engineered at the nanoscale to decrease the water evaporation to a thimbleful a day. I'm still waiting for my Still Suit though. I will definitely be looking into buying these if only to enhance my slothful lifestyle. 50% water = 50% less watering.

Posted by: Chris on January 10, 2007 7:03 AM